The Billow Effect 9: With a Little Bit of Help
by Sheankelor
Summary: Dealing with Umbridge with a bit of help - house elf help. Can Severus make it through the year? Or at least through the Welcoming Feast? Potter year 5


_With a little bit of help_

"Severus," Coriander settled next to the Potions Master at the kitchen table and pushed a mug of tea near him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "she has kitten plates. Pink kitten plates."

Bell and Rung sat across from them, their little one sandwiched between them.

"Her outfits are pink. A gaudy pink." Bell shook her head, her eyes also wide. "Bell thought Lockhart's clothes were in poor taste, but no… his were just over the top. Hers, they are … Bell does not know how to express it."

"I gather that Umbridge likes pink and kittens. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as she can teach." Severus sipped the tea. "Have you seen any evidence that she knows what she is doing?"

Gritz shook his head as he joined them. "My brother who works in the Ministry says that she is just what she looks like."

Sighing heavily, Severus felt his shoulders slump slightly before he pulled them back straight. "So, she is a toad. Toads can be conniving so we need to be cautious. I was hoping that she was making a poor first impression last night."

The elves shook their head. They knew just what she was like, and proceeded to fill Severus in.

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"Is she going to be taking much longer?"

Severus did his best not to noticeable react to Roil's question. "Umbridge has just got started, so I do think she will."

"The children need to go to bed soon. We need to clean the tables. They are not listening to her."

"They should be - she is talking about things that will affect them this school year."

"Do you need to listen to her?"

Severus gave a minuscule shake of his head. He had listened to all her talks during the before school opening meetings.

"I will be back when she is done to collect your plate." Roil tapped Severus' goblet and the water inside shimmered slightly. "To make it easier to get through."

Picking up his goblet, Severus smelled it to see what Roil had done. Fighting a smile, he sipped his white wine, which was forbidden in the Great Hall. It didn't change the words spewing from the Toad's mouth, but it did make sitting there listening to them once again palatable.

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"That dunderhead!" Severus stormed about his sitting room, his robe billowing about his ankles. "Why must he insist on irritating Professors? You would think after all the years of working with me Potter would know how to keep his mouth shut. That woman has too much power. She can do practically whatever she wants to whomever she wants."

Nilly wrung her hands together, her green eyes wide open. "She is making the students write with a quill that hurts them. It cuts them, leaving bloody marks on their hands."

Severus stopped and stared at the wall, his blood slowly starting to boil. "A blood quill. She is using a blood quill on the students, and there is nothing that we can do. The Minster will back her up. She won't get in trouble for it, no matter if we comment on it. All we can do is call attention to ourselves."

Spinning about, he walked back to the other side of his room, his thoughts in a whirl. "Murtlap essence. The students need it to help with the effects of the blood quill. The one I make for my lab - it won't stop scarring, but it will help minimize it. I will make sure that it is available."

Looking at the small elf, he continued. "Where is Dobby? He can make sure that Potter has some. I believe he is going to be the one most in need of it."

"Nilly will get him for you, Severus."

"Thank you."

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Severus watched as the last student entered his class. They were uptight, he could tell. Umbridge had been visiting classes and making not only the students antsy, but the professors as well. Most of them were quite ready to see the back of her, and Severus was more than willing to make that back side the last anyone saw. Instead of giving into that desire, he had spent the last several weeks slipping her a mild voice change potion. Her squeaky high voice was slowly, ever so slowly, changing. Before the school year was over, she would be croaking – just a little bit, but enough to know that something had changed. _'I am glad she is the Defence Professor. She will be gone by the end of the year. Maybe fatally.'_

Stepping towards the door, he was brought short by Kali.

"Umbridge is in the room, Severus." Kali held a vial out towards him. "Kali brought you a calming draught."

He didn't question why she was offering him the potion, but he shook his head. "I need to be myself."

"You need to control your anger towards her, and this is the Slytherin- Gryffindor class. They are already a volatile mix. If they sense even the tiniest bit of anger, they are going to react." Kali pressed the vial closer to his hand.

Accepting the vial, he took three sips. "Not enough for her to tell I am under the influence of a potion, but enough to not let me lash out at her when she deserves it."

Accepting the vial back, Kali smiled. "I'll be watching the classroom just in case she distracts you too much. The students will suffer no harm.

He spotted Umbridge the moment he passed through the door, allowing it thud shut as normal. Her pink was a subdued colour, as if she was attempting to hide in the shadows of his classroom.

"You will notice that we have a guest with us today." Severus watched Umbridge jump slightly as he called her presence out and then continued on with his class as if she was not there.

It was roughly halfway through the class that the High Inquisitor decided to speak to him. He had been hoping the silence would last until the end of the class, but it was not to be. The moment she started, Severus was glad Kali had given him the calming draught. That high squeaky voice was irritating him even with it. The underlying croak was helping though.

Severus watched his class as she attempted to make him mad. They were also watching him to see how he was going to react. So, just to do so, he allowed himself to express a bit of his aggravation at the stupid questions.

The moment she swept out the door, he could feel the tension leak out of the room. The students were still wary, but it was the normal level. Finally, he could have a normal class.

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Severus dropped into his seat after the last student left. They had performed remarkable well while Umbridge was in the room. They also held it together once she had left, both of which were remarkable considering the class. _'Maybe they were just worried about the bodily harm that might have befallen them if they had not done so.'_

Kali pushed a calming draught laced cup of tea into Severus' hands. "She is gone for now. It is over, you made it through." 

Severus looked at the cup and raised an eyebrow at the elf. "Then why are you dosing me with more Calming Draught? What is happening next?"

"She is calling a meeting to discuss her findings in front of everyone."

Severus glanced at his left arm, wondering if there was any chance that the Dark Lord would summon him. It might not be a perfect excuse, but he was pretty sure that she would accept it.

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Severus made it to the kitchen not long after Fudge left the school. Umbridge was still crowing in delight. Her new position was a travesty of justice. Minerva should have been given the lead of the school, or Flitwick. They were the next in line for the seat. This upstart of a professor did not have the knowledge or the wherewithal to run Hogwarts.

"The Headmaster is gone and his office is sealed." Gritz's ears drooped. "What are we supposed to do now? We have no master."

"You are the Hogwarts house-elves. You will survive this. Keep working as normal. Do not let her disrupt your pattern. Listen to the orders of Minerva or to any of the other professors. Well, with one exception."

"She is no professor." Gritz folded his arms, his ears perking up in his indignation.

Severus shook his head. "Not Umbridge, but myself. You need to listen to her orders so she does not terrorize the elves here as well."

"We will listen to her words and follow them as loosely as possible." Gritz leaned in close to their Potions Master. "And we will listen to you. You are _our_ Potions Master, your opinion matters."

Severus glared into the blue eyes, and was met with an equally intense glare back. "Fine, but I will not order."

"We would not expect you to."

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"Fireworks! There are fireworks in the halls."

Severus didn't attempt to hide his smile as he leaned against the kitchen door. "Yes, there are. Do not do anything about them, and make yourselves scarce. This is Umbridge's problem. Also, there is a swamp – leave it. It will make life interesting for a while. Flitwick has declared that he will remove it when she is gone."

"Eboni saw the swamp and was trying to figure out how to clean it. Roil will tell her not to."

Severus moved away from the door as the kitchen elf went to find Eboni. "I am going to work in my lab, is there anything that the elves need right now?"

Shaking his head, Fennel stopped and looked at Severus. "We are out of the potion that nullifies Vertiaserum. Umbridge has requested another serving of tea tonight, and she has a student coming for detention."

"I will have it here this afternoon." Leaving the kitchen, Severus headed for his private lab, knowing that no one could find him there.

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As Severus strode down the hallway, his robes billowing behind him, he replayed the scene that had just occurred in Umbridge's office once again. "I am positive Potter didn't understand that I couldn't react, I couldn't reassure him. If I know the boy, he is going to do something stupid now."

Stopping by a window, he noticed the false Headmistress following Granger and Potter into the Forbidden Forest. Dread filled him. There were too many things in there that could harm a child, especially at this time of day. Lengthening his stride, he practically ran to his room to contact the mutt. Then he could go into the Forest and rescue Potter.

On his way out the front door, Severus spotted the thestrals flying off with their passengers. The dread he felt earlier magnified. "Nilly, I need to see you now."

The little elf appeared her eyes wide. Severus sounded urgent. "Severus needs me?"

"Find the Headmaster. I don't care where he is or how long it takes. Tell him Potter is heading to the Department of Mysteries with other children with him."

"Nilly is going."

She vanished as Severus spun about, rushing to the dungeon to alert the Order of what was transpiring.

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"You must remain at the Castle, Severus." Remus had pushed Sirius away from the floo. "One Order member needs to be alert and to know what is happening. We both know that one of those students is most likely going to be hurt. The Infirmary needs to be ready to receive them."

Tonks poked her head in beside Remus'. "You can't blow your cover. If You-Know-Who hasn't summoned you then he doesn't want you there. If you show up … that won't be good. Stay."

"Then get out of that house and protect the dunderheads! And leave that mutt behind." Severus pulled out of the floo and shut the connection. _'There. If I have to stay behind, so should Black. If that mutt goes and gets hurt the boy will be inconsolable. Look how he is acting now.'_

Pushing up off his knees, Severus headed out to the forest, hoping against hope that Potter had been intelligent enough not to be on one of those thestrals. Once he finished that task, he would find out which the potions he was going to most likely need before the evening was over.

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Severus stopped just outside the forbidding darkness that was somehow deeper under the trees. "Gymno, can you help look through the forest for Potter?"

Gymno popped up next to the Potions Master. "We will Severus."

"We?" Severus looked at the grounds elf waiting for the clarification.

"Yes, we. All the grounds elves will help look."

"Thank you. I think I saw him flying off on a thestral, but I am not certain."

"We will hunt." With that, Gymno vanished into the darkness. Severus was less than a step behind him.

The darkness clung to the trees and the undergrowth. The sounds were magnified by the trees instead of muffled. If Severus hadn't had a habit of hunting for ingredients in the forest at night, then he would have been far more spooked. Moving as quietly as he could, Severus hunted for any sign that Potter was still there.

"Severus."

Severus spun about looking down at Byro. "What have you discovered?"

"Potter went with the other children. The centaurs saw him leave."

"Call off the search. I need to get back to the school. If Potter went, then there will be casualties coming back." Byro popped away and Severus headed back. He needed to make sure Poppy was awake and he had potions on hand ready to go.

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"Severus, there are a number of wounded." Albus was not surprised to see the Potions Master in the Infirmary where he had portkeyed the wounded to. "Will you help see to them?"

"Of course, Albus." A quick glance at the group showed that Potter was not there. "Where is Potter?"

Albus sighed. "My office. Black went to help with the rescue and died in the process."

Every curse word Severus could think of ran through his brain. This was not going to be a good evening for many. Poppy arrived as Albus was finishing speaking and both of them levitated the patients onto the beds.

"Snape, take Miss Granger, I will work on Tonks."

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A tea cup was pushed into his hand, and Severus noticed it was Bell that was offering it. "I don't want tea."

"You need it, Severus." She pushed it a bit harder, slipping it between the partially closed fingers. "Drink or I will make you hot chocolate."

Bringing the cup to his lips, Severus sipped on the honey laced beverage. "I should have found some way to let Potter know that I was checking into his warning. He wouldn't have run off then and this whole fiasco would have been avoided."

The other elves settled about him their ears drooping slightly, but their eyes wide with understanding. "Severus couldn't have gone – both of your masters said not to – and your second master could not learn about your disloyalty. You could not slip, not with the others there. Potter needs to learn to trust you."

Severus shook his head. "He never will. This blow will destroy all chances of the boy trusting me in any way. The Occlumency lessons had already weakened that chance immensely, this is just the final straw."

Fennel shook his head. "The boy might one day learn. One day."


End file.
